The pit of my stomach is churning.
My neck and shoulders are tense.
I don’t have any energy.
My whole body is out of whack.

Do you feel this way? Have you felt like this? Let's take a look at how living with alcoholism or addiction can our bodies and our health.

How was my body affected by the alcoholism in my house?

Laying awake at night worrying — tired and sleepy all the time.

“Knot in my stomach” — From “awfulizing” and “catastrophizing” the future and worrying about the present.

Anger and resentment — tension in my body — muscle pain

I had no energy for anything other than stewing about my situation.

No exercise

Poor eating habits (junk food)

Weight gain

Resulting in even less energy

The things I did to try to dull the pain.

Eating

My own drinking

Feedback effects

Not taking care of my body leads to loss of energy

Leading to depressed feelings.

And worry about my health.

Without the energy to “fix” it..

Leading to more not taking care of my body.

How does recovery change things?

Letting go

When I can “let go and let God”, I can loosen the knot of worry. I can relax the tension of anger and resentment. I can get go bed at a reasonable time, because I’m not sitting up late with worry or anger (or both!)

“Take care of myself”

Easier to do when I start letting go of taking care of my loved one.

Eat “right”.

Get some exercise.

Getting enough sleep.

Breathe

Meditate

Practice being still

Relaxing physical tension

HALT — Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired — When I am these things, I am more likely to “act out”. Being aware of the state of my body can help me live a calmer, more serene life.

Spotify playlist

One thought on “My Body, My Codependency – Episode 204”

Spencer – Being new to the podcast, I listen to one episode each night before bed. Thank you for being an important part of my day. Can you post the next topic you will be discussing in the most recent podcast section? EX: “Next weeks topic will be xxxx. We welcome our Alanon friends to share on this topic via voicemail or email. We will be including some of these comments in next podcast. Please know your input is appreciated and enriches the experience for our listeners.” If you do this, I will make an effort to contribute. Enjoy your vacay!